| Review of the Nokia 6016i |
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The 6016i is a low-end CDMA phone that actually has some very top-end qualities. Unfortunately all is not rosy, but this might very well be an excellent choice for those considering a Bell Mobility phone with superb RF sensitivity.
The Nokia 6016i is available through Bell Mobility. Last Updated: 30-Aug-2005 |
Before reading this review, please read Some Thoughts on Phone Reviewing.
RF Performance
RF Sensitivity: I really wished I’d had with me
some of the other CDMA phones to which I’ve given high marks in this category,
because the 6016i seemed to be one of the best phones I’d ever tested for
picking up a weak signal on Bell Mobility. All I had to compare against was my
old Motorola ST-7868W, and the 6016i totally put
that one to shame. So much so in fact that it is possible that the 6016i has one
of the best RF sensitivity ratings of any CDMA phone I’ve thus far tested. Maybe
one day I’ll be able to put it in a head-to-head contest against other phones
that do well in this regard.
Over-the-road Performance: Wow, this model made
driving around with a CDMA phone seem almost as good a Qualcomm always hyped it
to be. Through areas where my ST-7868W (which has very good over-the-road
performance to begin with) would show signs of weakness (garbled audio and
dropouts) the 6016i would soldier on as if nothing was wrong. If I were to rate
this phone based solely upon it RF performance, I’d have to give it the gold
medal immediately.
Click on this link for a full description of
RF Performance, and how to interpret it.
Audio Performance
Tonal Balance: Like many Nokia CDMA phones I’ve
tested of late the 6016i has excellent tonal balance. The balance of highs and
lows was both pleasant and extremely understandable. Earpiece volume was also
quite good, even when used in a noisy environment.
Sound Reproduction: Well, it seems that every
ointment seems to have a fly in it, and the 6016i’s fly is sound reproduction.
Like other Nokia CDMA phones I’ve tested in the last year or two, the 6016i
sounded decided coarse and raspy compared to the smooth-sounding audio of many
of the current phones based on the Qualcomm chipset. When I called various test
recordings I found that what were smooth “s” sounds on other phones (GSM and
iDEN) were distorted on the 6016i. This is a phenomenon called sibilance.
Outgoing sound quality is slightly better than average for a 1X phone, but that
isn’t saying much. The 6016i has okay outgoing audio in a quiet environment, but
it quickly gets worse when things get noisy (such as you might find even in a
quiet car on the highway). It is nowhere near as good as the
Kyocera Slider, which is so far the
best-sounding CDMA 1X phone for outgoing audio that I’ve thus far tested.
Speakerphone: I had expected to be quite impressed
with the speakerphone feature, given the great showings I’d seen recently on
other Nokia models. Those models use an excellent sounder that doubles as a
super-loud ringer. This isn’t the case on the 6016i. All it does is jack up the
volume of the earpiece as much as possible, which IS NOT very loud. It’s fine
for when you’re put on hold, and even then, only in a quiet environment.
Click on this link for a full description of
Audio Performance, and how to interpret it.
Support Features
Ringer Volume: The ringer volume was also quite
disappointing; especially in light of how loud it’s been on many other Nokia
phones I’ve tested recently. This issue is related to the poor speakerphone
performance, in that Nokia did not use that super-loud sounder that appears on
many of their other new models. Don’t expect to hear this phone ringing in your
purse in a noisy shopping mall. However, the phone does have a strong vibrator,
so if you put it in your pocket you’ll at least feel it if you don’t hear it.
Keypad Design: While not as horrific as the
double-ended keys on the Nokia 3205, the keypad
still uses relatively flush keys that seem to be a current Nokia trademark. They
have pretty good tactile feel, but it is difficult to feel one key from another
when you try to use the phone without looking at. However, because of the
overall feel I don’t think many people will be especially displeased with this
design of this keypad.
Display: As this phone doesn’t have a camera, nor
is it intended for viewing pictures or doing other fancy PDA-like functions, it
is only endowed with Nokia’s run-of-the-mill low resolution color display. This
is really one of those phones that SHOULD have a monochrome display that would
be easier to see in bright sunlight. Alas, Nokia obviously feels that monochrome
displays are now strictly passé, and so it saddles this base-model phone with a
so-so color display that difficult to see outdoors.
Conclusions
When it comes to the BIG FOUR qualities of RF sensitivity, over-the-road
performance, tonal balance, and sound reproduction; the 6016i does only one
poorly, and the other three superbly. If I were in the market for a CDMA phone
I’d probably prefer excellent over-the-road performance to sound reproduction
(such as the 6016i provides), but if Nokia could just lick that problem they’d
have a killer CDMA chipset.
The poor sound reproduction of the 6016i causes me to fall short of proclaiming
this phone as one of the best CDMA models out there, and the other niggles, such
as poor ringer volume, poor speakerphone performance, and the so-so display make
it less than a stellar buy. However, if sound reproduction doesn’t really bug
you one way or another, then the fabulous performance of the phone otherwise
does make a temping choice to consider if you have decided to go with Bell
Mobility.
